Ring compressor control device



Dec. 15, 1942 L. a. MILLE R' RING COMPRESSOR CQNTROL DEVICE Filed Sept. 30. 1940' I Illll 1N VENT OR.

r M k m u wp l w A Z Patentecl Dec. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE RING COMPRESSOR CONTROL DEVICE Leon B. Miller, Brooklyn, N. Y. 1 Application September 30, 1940, Serial No. 359,085 Claims. (01. 188- 81) The present invention relates to piston ring compressors such as covered by my Patent No. 2,208,136, issued July 16, 1940, and particularly deals with the control means governing the operation and release of the device during operation. In the aforestated patent, the construc tion of the ring compressor broadly consists of a piston ring engaging strip intended to always assume a substantially truecylindrical form, a pair of compression bands designed to engage the edges of the strip for controlling the perimeter of the spirally wound, substantially cylindrical form of the strip, and a rotatable element, se-

cured at one end of the strip in a suitable mounting, for operating the bands, said rotatable element-being provided with a ratchet wheel, and

said mounting supporting operative detent means, the latter being adapted to either engage or disengage said ratchet wheel, for retaining the rotatable element and said band in wound or adjusted position, or for releasing them to freely unwind,

respectively.

The present invention has for its prime object 7 to provide ratchet wheel detent means of a simensuing description and the accompanying drawing, in which I Fig. 1 is a top view of my ring compressor in its presently preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section through the ratchet portion of my device; and

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now specifically to the drawing, numeral [0 denotes the piston ring engaging strip of my device, which is wound in a spiral and is intended to assume and retain a substantially circular form always. At the outer end of strip 10 there is provided a mounting l I which consists of a broad plate, bent upon itself and substantially reduced in width at its bent portion to form a substantially tubular loop or hearing I2. Extending from this bearing and associated with the outer and inner surfaces of strip 10 are outer and inner legs 13 and M of the mounting, permanently held in position by rivets IE, or other 55 suitable means. Outer leg 13 is bent up at 16, as clea'rlyseen in Figs. 1 and 4, so that a space is provided between interior leg 14 and the bent-up portion of exterior leg 13.

Lodged within loop I2 is a rotary element l1, provided with end flanges 18 and I9 and ratchet wheels 20.. Between the end flanges and the ratchet wheels are removably anchored thewindable or free ends ofbands 2|, whereas their fixed ends are held in place beneath leg 13 of. the mounting. These bands encircle strip l0 and are intended to either draw strip 10 togethenor release itwhen the perimeter of the strip'is to be changed.v The upper end of rotary element 11 is provided with a socket 22 for the reception of a key or wrench 23, shown in Fig. 2.

The spaced portions of the two legs l3 and I4 of mounting H, are indicated by numerals 24 and 25, respectively. These two leg portions are rendered adjustable towards or from each other, whereby loop 12 may be either tightened, or loosened with respect to rotary element 11. Through such adjustment the operation of element [1, induced by resilient strip .10 and'bands 2|, may be governed. The aforesaid adjustment is preferably accomplished by an adjusting screw indicated at 26.

Straddling the raised leg porton. 24 of the mounting there is arranged a detent 21, adapted to normally engage ratchet wheels 20. This detent is preferably made from a single strip of material, which is bent upon itself at 28 to form an outer leg 29 and an inner leg 30. The inner leg is provided with pawls or prongs 3| adaptedto engage the teeth of ratchet wheels 20. This inner leg 30 of the detent operates within the space between raised portion 24 of outer leg Bend the portion of inner leg [4 of the mounting.

Near the bent-over end of the detent are provided registering apertures for the reception of screw 32, which extends freely through raised portion 24 of the mounting and engages threads provided in the lower portion 25 thereof. Screw 32 serves as a pivot for detent 21. Both the upper and lower leg portions of the detent are provided with suitable recesses 33 and 34 for accommodating and clearing adjusting screw 26.

Extending from the interior portion of the detent is a projection 35 in which is mounted a spring member 36. The latter bears against the closed end of the pocket formed between leg portions 24' and 25 of the mounting and is intended to normally urge detent 21 towards ratchet wheels 20. From the upper leg of the detent extends a handle 31, conveniently placed to readily facilitate the operation of the detent by the pressure of the thumb. When extension 31 is moved away from ratchet wheels 20, against the tension of spring 36, pawls or prongs 3| are caused to disengage ratchet wheels 20, thereby releasing rotary element [1,

Operation When a piston with piston rings in its grooves is to be inserted into a cylinder, strip l is placed over the piston rings and is drawn together by the operation of handle 23, in that rotary element I1 is turned to wind up bands 2! until strip l0 completely engages and compresses into the grooves the rings of the piston. When this is accomplished, the piston, with the ring compressor holding the rings in the groove, is placed over the cylinder so that the notches 38, provided at the bottom edge of strip l0, rest against the edge of the cylinder into which the piston is to be inserted. Now the piston is pressed into the cylinder. As the rings, held within their grooves by strip l0, enter the cylinder one after the other, they automatically are released from the strip. When the entire piston is completely inserted, the compressor may be removed for use with the next piston. In order to release strip l9, extension 3'! is pressed in the direction away from ratchet wheels 20, whereby prongs 3| are caused to disengage the teeth of the ratchet wheels, and compression bands 2| are unwound by the pressure exerted against them by the expanding, freed strip I0. In order to prevent too rapid an expansion of strip I0, adjusting screw 26 may be first tightened and then loosened for governing the friction upon rotary element l1.

While I have shown in the drawing but a single embodiment of my invention, be it understood that changes and improvements in its construction may be incorporated, without departing from the broad scope of my invention as defined by the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. In a ratchet device for controlling the operation of rotary elements powered by windable springs, such as employed in compression band type piston ring compressors, a rotary member provided with a ratchet wheel, amounting forming the journal for' said rotary member and having compressible spaced and fixed adjacentextensions, a spring induced detent pivotally mounted 7 within said spaced extensions and adaptedto normally bear against said ratchet, said detent having means for manually moving it away from the ratchet.

2. In a ratchet device for controlling the operation of rotary elements powered by windable springs, such as employed in compression band type ring compressors, a rotary member provided with two spaced ratchet wheels, a looped mounting forming the journal for said rotary member and terminating in compressible spaced and fixed adjacent extensions, a piston ring engaging strip secured to the fixed extension, means for adjusting aid spaced extensions, a detent for engaging said ratchet wheels pivotally mounted within the spaced extensions and straddling one of them, a resilient member associated with said detent and bearing against the piston ring engaging strip held between said adjacent extensions of the mounting, said resilient member normally urging the detent against the ratchet wheels, and means provided on the detent for facilitating its movement manually away from the ratchet wheels.

3. In a ratchet device for controlling the operation of rotary, spring-powered elements, a rotary member having a ratchet wheel, a looped mounting forming the journal for said member and having adjustable spaced and fixed adjacent termini, the latter serving for attachment between them of a flat element, a ratchet wheel detent pivotally mounted within said spaced termini and straddling one of them, a resilient element fastened to said detent and bearing against the flat element held between said adjacent termini and normally urging the detent against the ratchet wheel, and a handle provided on the detent for moving it against the tension of the resilient element, and thus away from the ratchet wheel.

4. In a ratchet device, a rotary member having a ratchet wheel, a plate looped about said member and having spaced and adjustable termini, forming the journal for the member, a detent pivotally mounted within said termini and normally engaging said ratchet wheel and having means for moving it away from the ratchet wheel.

5. In a ratchet device, a rotary member having a ratchet wheel, a journal for the member comprising a plate looped about the latter and having spaced and adjustable termini, a detent pivotally mounted within said termini and straddling one of and normally engaging said ratchet wheel and having means for moving it away from the ratchet wheel.

LEON B. MnLER. 

